Other Open Games

Artificer

An artificer is an individual who lives on the edge of magic and science. They are craftsmen and engineers, mixing the arcane and divine with a new discipline: technology. Artificers are students of exotic sciences and theories, and are often viewed with distrust, derision or outright hostility by those versed in traditional magic.

Adventures: Many artificers live a life of seclusion, far from the outside world, where they are free to hone their understanding of science, magic and technology far from the prying eyes of the ignorant. For other artificers, however, the world is their laboratory -- life is best spent traveling to foreign lands and learning everything they can. Their theories and skills can be thoroughly tested only through regular application, which adventure affords.

Characteristics: Artificers are driven by a unyielding thirst for knowledge, but often at the expense of their social skills. In many ways, they are the archetypal ‘mad scientist’, reveling in invention but difficult to understand.

Alignment: Artificers are far more interested in their work than in its moral implications. As such, all artificers tend towards neutrality. Lawfully minded artificers focus on methods for improvement and the betterment of society, while Chaotically minded artificers tend to follow their whims, whether that road leads them to inventions of creation or destruction.

Background: Similar to wizards, artificers receive formal training and education through years of hard study. The talents and desire to enter the world of the artificer often manifest at a very early age, through the disassembling of objects and devices for no other reason that curiosity. Artificers are a closely knit society, sharing a sense of camaraderie with others who have similar training and knowledge. They relish intellectual debate and conversation with their fellows, sharing theories and commentary upon each other’s techniques and innovations. Rivalry between artificers is common, with each viewing themselves as the pinnacle of a rare and exclusive breed, and eager to correct the “mistakes” of their rivals.

Role: Artificers are valuable support within their party, offering technological and magical assistance to others. Their weird science abilities make them well suited to augmenting the specific needs of any adventuring group.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An artificer is proficient with all simple weapons, with light armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Elbow Grease

The artificer gains a +2 bonus to all Craft checks. This bonus raises to +4 at 6th level, and +6 at 10th level.

Jack of All Trades

The artificer has picked up a smattering of even the most obscure skills. They may use any skill untrained.

Weird Science

An artificer is not a spellcaster, but instead possesses the ability to imbue items with magical power. This weird science allows the artificer to create devices that combine the effects of one or more spells, either arcane or divine.

An artificer has access to both arcane and divine spell lists, but only up to 4th level. Any number of spells can be combined into a single device. Spell statistics (casting times, etc.) remain unchanged, although no components are required and the artificer is considered the “caster” for the purposes of CL.

Weird science devices must be invented in advance, however -- they cannot be created on the fly. The time to create such devices is 4 hours per spell level used. As such, an artificer usually has a fixed collection of regularly-carried devices.

Weird science devices are temporary and unreliable. They are able to be used reliably a number of times per day equal to 1 plus half the class level of the artificer who built the device (rounding up, naturally). The device may be used by anyone -- but if used by someone other than the artificer who built it, it requires a Use Magic Device roll at DC 15 to activate (a failed roll indicates that the device fails to activate for that user, and a roll of 1 means that the device breaks down for good).

If the device is used more times than allowed (by anyone), it requires a Use Magic Device skill check with a DC equal starting at 20 and rising by 1 every additional time the device is used. A failed roll means that the device breaks down and may not be used again (the artificer will have to build another).

Combining multiple magical effects into a single device means that both effects function simultaneously upon activation (effectively casting two or more spells at once) -- but such devices are even more unstable than usual: The Use Magic Device check for extra activations starts at DC 25 + the number of effects used, and goes up for each additional usage by the number of effects used.

Example 1

Roderick, a 5th level artificer, invents an electromagnetic projector -- a gun which emulates the effect of the 3rd level wizard spell, lightning Bolt. It will have a range of 120 feet, and do 5d6 points of electricity damage to any target. This device will take Roderick 12 hours to build. It can be fired 4 times per day before becoming unreliable (Use Magic Device, DC 20 +1 for each additional use).

If Roderick had decided to combine lightning Bolt, inflict light wounds (2nd level Cleric spell) and shield (1st level Wizard) into his gun, giving him a weapon which does 5d6 electricity damage at 120' range, 1d8+5 points of damage if you use touch attack, and bestows a +4 shield bonus to AC for 1 min/level errata, it would have taken him 24 hours to complete. The gun would be able to be fired 4 times per day (Use Magical Device, DC 28 +3 for each additional use).

Item Creation

At second level, an artificer’s invention ability expands to include the creation of true magic items, even if the artificer does not have access to the prerequisite spells. The artificer must make a successful Craft check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. This ability does not stack with the Master Craftsman feat.

Example 2

To make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Craft check result of 21 or higher. To create a carpet of flying, (caster level 5th), he would need a check result of 25 or higher to emulate the overland flight prerequisite spell. The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite of the item.

The magic item creation guidelines are used, and for the purpose of emulating prerequisites, the artificer’s effective CL equals his class level +2. However, if the item duplicates a spell effect, the statistics of that effect use the artificer’s actual level.

Example 3

Access to a 3rd level spell usually requires a 5th level caster. Under these rules, an artificer could emulate fireball at 3rd level -- but the damage of a fireball coming from such an item would only be 3d6, rather than 5d6, since the artificer is only 3rd level. An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, as per the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites.

Salvage

At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the gold piece value from a magic item and use those funds to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer gains the gp value it took to create the item. This value is cannot be spent as gold, it may only be used in the creation of another magic item.

Example 4

An artificer wants to salvage a wand of lightning bolts that has 20 charges. Originally created (like all wands) with 50 charges, it required 5625 gp when initially made, or approximately 113 gp (5625 divided by 50) per charge. The artificer is able to recover the gp value from the remaining charges. He gains the value of (113 x 20) 2260 gp to put toward the creation of another item.

Metamagic Science

At 6th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (such as a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell.

Example 5

An artificer can Quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), Empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it Silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item. An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges.

Improved Metamagic Science

At 11th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell completion item (a scroll, for example). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell completion item he is using. The DC for the Use Magic Device check is equal to 20 + (3 times the modified level of the spell).

Example 6

Applying the Empower Spell feat to a scroll of cone of cold, creating a 7th-level effect, has a DC of 20 + (3 x 7), or 41. An artificer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Int modifier.

Improved Jack of All Trades

All skills are now considered class skills for the artificer, receiving the usual +3 bonus given to class skill checks.

Exemplar

The artificer's Jack of All Trades ability reaches its zenith: The artificer may now add half his class level to all untrained skill checks.